Family
by SkyyeStrike
Summary: To Naruto, Family was obsolete. To Sasuke, Family was just a memory. Put them together, add some teenage hormones, and you have a ninja family to be reckoned with. Yaoi, Yuri, Het. Multiple Pairings: SasuNaruInoSakuHinaKiba with possible others
1. Prolouge

**Family: Prolouge**

**. . .**

* * *

_It's been a long time since I came around_

_Been a long time but I'm back in town_

_This time I'm not leaving without you_

* * *

The dust was still settling, still coating the air with a thick fog. Didn't matter. Naruto can barely breath through his broken nose anyway, and his throat isn't much better. His chest heaves, struggling to get air past the blood that keeps choking and clogging his throat. He coughs, feels specks of saliva mixed with blood fly from his mouth and land on his face. Gross.

Habit has him using a mental checklist to take inventory of his injuries. Felt like there was two-_ ouch_. Okay, maybe three cracked ribs, and his wrist was definitely broken. Man was Sakura going to kill him… though currently, he was feeling too sluggish to even put the idea of running into action. Also, it felt like he'd pulled something in the back of his leg… Ugh. That dampened his chances at getting away. Maybe he could beg…

A wheeze from somewhere beside him and Naruto manages to turn his head enough to see Sasuke practically crawling his way over to where Naruto is lying. He's peering at him through black bangs that have been plastered to his forehead in blood. The top if his shirt is torn completely from his shoulder, the other barely hanging on by the threads and there are cuts and dried blood all over that pale, pale skin. Three of his fingers are bent the wrong way. One of his eyes' is swelling closed in what would become one helluva shiner.

And for all that the bastards face looks impassive and uncaring, his pitch colored eyes are wide and worried. He licks his split bottom lip in the way Naruto can only peg as a nervous habit that Sasuke developed when they were still in the academy. Last time Naruto had pointed it out, he'd gotten a black eye.

"Are you…?" _Okay? Alive?_Pointless questions, but Sasuke's worry is something that Naruto had missed all these years, no matter how strange it seemed for Sasuke to be "worried." And if he were ever asked about it, he'd probably land a good punch and deny it to the end of time.

God he'd missed Sasuke, with his stupid hidden "mother-hen" act that he always tried to gruff up. Naruto gives him his biggest shit-eating grin he can muster.

"Never better!" He burbles. It's hard to talk when there is still blood coating the back of your throat. Sasuke rolls his eyes and slumps down beside him unceremoniously. Naruto pretends not to notice that his facial muscles relax more than they should have. His hand falls on a forming bruise on Naruto's shoulder, and Naruto tried not to wince. If Sasuke notices, he doesn't say anything.

"I'd half-hoped you'd died, dead-last." He finally grumbles. His voice sounds suspiciously thick. Naruto doesn't look, but his grin does widen.

"What about the other half?"

Silence and the shuffle of cloth on skin. When Naruto does bring himself to look, Sasuke's covering his eyes with his forearm.

Naruto grins and lies back down. "I thought so."

Then they're just staring at the sky, watching as the dust finally settles itself onto the broken ground. The storm clouds that had gathered disperse into patches of bright blue sky. Lances of light highlight dislodged stones and cracked earth in ragged stripes.

All of a sudden, Naruto's chuckling, then laughing out loud, his mouth open, and he has to roll onto his side so he doesn't choke himself on the blood in his mouth. It paints the ground a sickly red color. In the back of his mind, he sees it almost as rust.

Sasuke looks at him incredulously, watching tears spring to the corners of Naruto's eyes, whether from pain of lack of air, he can't tell. When Naruto looks up, he's still teary but he's grinning wide and triumphant. "You know what this means?" He chuckles.

Sasuke stares.

_Naruto's grin widens. "I won the bet."_

_"If we win this fight, you have to come back to Konoha with me. And I get a victory kiss."_

_Snort. "If we don't win, neither of us will be going back to Konoha."_

_"If we do, you'll owe me."_

Sasuke feels his face screw up like a lemon. "I didn't agree to anything." He'd thought the idiot had just been joking. He tells himself his face is only hot because of the sun on it.

Naruto's already hauling himself over, leaning down and Sasuke is frozen, unable to move away or even breath as Naruto's lips press against his own. It hurts his split lip, Naruto tasting like blood and sweat. Sasuke's eyes only close because Naruto's too close to his face.

Naruto's lips lift and Sasuke finds himself a bit too light-headed for his liking (It's the blood loss). He stares at Naruto's face that is slowly turning beet red. Naruto lies back down. Stares at the sky again.

"So, you're still coming back to Konoha." He's testing the water, trying to figure out if he's made a mistake. There's a moment of tense, agonizingly long silence. It's almost deafening.

_THWACK_.

"Stupid, when have I ever gone back on my word?"  
Naruto can't stop the grins and laughs that erupt from his throat, even as he cradles the jaw that has been bruised down to the bone.

And that was how they were found; by Sakura, Kakashi and a team of Kiragakure ninja, who all looked extremely confused. Sakura had knelt down between them, pulling them both towards her until their heads were in her lap, unable to tell whether she should laugh at their stupidity or cry in relief. Naruto had laughed up at her red-blotched face and Sasuke kept trying to suffocate the twitches of his lips that were suspiciously close to actual smiles.

Sakura eventually settles to pressing her forehead against theirs and breathing in the crazily nostalgic scent of both of them, together. Then she swears at them for being total dickheads without her.

It was a happy day.

* * *

_Two months later_-

Konoha's courtrooms are located beneath the Hokage's tower, above Anbu Headquarters, but far enough below the ground floor to make Naruto feel trapped. Even with the scented candles and bundles of fragrant plants everywhere, he can smell the damp earth down here. It doesn't help that the Elders are both alternating their imperious stares between him and Sasuke. Naruto thinks it's probably just to make them uncomfortable.

Elder Koharu skewers Naruto with her shrewd gaze as she announces the sentence. "The standard protocol of "Execution of Traitors" had been pardoned under the circumstances of risk to Konoha and loss of bloodline." A grin twists the corner of the elders' wrinkled mouth. Naruto has never wanted to punch it so much. "If such a sentence were to be carried out," She continues, "Konoha may be put at risk from inside it's very own walls. It is also proclaimed that, in the Village's best interest, the continuation of the Uchiha bloodline would be mandatory." She licks her lips. Naruto feels the hair on the back of his neck prickle.

In his defense, Naruto tries very hard not to let his anger show on his face at the accusation of loosing control of Kurama if Sasuke had been sentenced to death. It didn't matter that the accusation was practically true anyways. He'd worked too hard to get Sasuke back only to have him be killed within his own walls.

Instead, he focuses on Sasuke's ashen face, watching it flush, then pale, then tinge a sickly, abysmal green. And after the trial ends, he holds Sasuke's hair away from his face as the other boy retches into the nearest garbage can he could find.

It doesn't stop the grin from nearly splitting his face in two when what happened really sinks in. That the reasons had been twisted, or that the parameters were strict in Sasuke's sentence didn't weigh much in the gravity of it all. Sasuke was here, he was alive and he was _staying_.

* * *

Four Months and two treaties later, its October. Naruto's birthday is rolling around and he's been released from the hospital completely. It's been two agonizing months of discussion between the Hokage, Raikage and Tsuchikage, and three months since Sasuke's pardon. The treaty boundaries have finally been set into stone and the Rookie Nine (a nickname they could never shake) had called a celebratory party. Seeing as there was no way Naruto was going to let Sasuke miss a chance to meet all his teammates again after so long, he drags Sasuke along, ignoring the insults flung his way.

The bar was one of the older ones in Konoha, sporting a homely appearance and peeling paint, a sign above it proclaiming "_Chiharu's!_" in bold blue lettering. Naruto was glad of Kiba's choice; in the ninja world, they'd all been legal adults since they'd gained their Genin status. In the civilian world, the age of sixteen was still too young for alcohol. Chiharu's was a ninja specific bar.

There's a clamor already brewing from behind the door and Sasuke shakes his head, a single, quick "No" that Naruto pretends not to see. He pulls Sasuke up to the door and kicks it open with a wide grin and a "Honey, I'm home!" at the top of his lungs.

All chatter stops. Eleven faces turn towards them from the center table. Naruto feels his grin go rigid as their gazes sweep past him to Sasuke, who is standing slightly behind him, looking like he desperately wants to chew his arm off.

Naruto steps inside, letting the door close behind him and Sasuke with a solid _thunk_. He saunters over to an empty bench near Shikamaru and plops Sasuke down before swinging himself in. "Man I'm starved!" He exclaims, grabs and plate and reaches for some of Chouji's fried pork. Still silence.

And then Shikamaru holds his hand out to Sasuke, mouth curving into a lazy smile. "Nice work out there. You got some power."

And that was that. The mood lightens, the laughter starts and curious faces from other booths look away, relieved. Congratulations are passed, laughs shared, and drinks given. Naruto sees Sasuke smiling in his what-do-you-mean-Uchiha's-don't-smile way, watching as Ino and Sakura try to shove Shikamaru away from Sasuke so they can get closer. Kiba is slapping Sasuke's back and shoving alcohol in Sasuke's face, and Chouji is trying to sneakily steal more and more of Sasuke's curry rice. Naruto leans back and releases the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. In celebration, he makes a grab for the sake bottle Kiba's been waving around like a maniac.

When the night grows long and Naruto feels his buzz begin to fill his head more than it should, he picks Sasuke up from where he's been leaning on Lee (who the alcohol has stayed far from), and bids his goodnights.

And after everything that has happened, Naruto still feels guilty. He still feels a twinge of anger at himself, even as his fingers splay against rock hard abdominals. He knows he should stop, but somehow, he ends up with his tongue in Sasuke's mouth, and Sasuke's fist gripping his hair like he wants to tear it out. They're barely inside the door and pressed up against the wall like it was the only thing keeping them up. Naruto's hands are dragging themselves up Sasuke's sides, over the just mended wounds beneath his shirt, cresting over strong shoulders. Sasuke is everywhere, pushing and grabbing, tugging and pulling and he tastes like alcohol and aftershave, with a sharp spike of mint beneath it all. Naruto's breath hitches when Sasuke's thigh rises up and presses against his groin, hands feeling for the belt loops of Naruto's pants and tugging _down_.

Somehow they manage make it to Sasuke's room (sort of), shedding clothing down the hallway (the floor is better than nothing). Naruto's shirt is clawed to bits, and Naruto's not sure which of them did it. Something is telling him that molesting his drunken teammate is a bad thing to do, but Naruto's drunk too, and Sasuke's molesting him back. He shoves the voice down, pushes his pants down and starts working at Sasuke's belt buckle.

* * *

The first thought in Naruto's head the next morning was, that the sun was slanting at the wrong angle. He sits up with a jolt, then winces and lies back down, a hand to his head. It wasn't his room, wasn't even his own house, but his head hurt too much for him to give it too much thought at the moment. He looks up at the ceiling with squinted eyes, tracing an L shaped crack in the ceiling with his eyes, remembering helping move Sasuke into an apartment with a crack like that. Huh. Small world.

…Oh my god, he'd fucked Sasuke.

The realization hits him like a ton of bricks. Suddenly Naruto is sitting up, searching the room for a familiar head of black hair but he's alone and oh my god Sasuke probably hated him now he was so stupid how could he think to do something that stupid that was the last time he ever got drunk again because it is totally against all friendship laws for guys to fuck their best friends and-

A throat clears. Naruto looks up, head still pounding and stares at Sasuke, who is holding out a glass of water and a pair of white pills. Naruto feels relief flood him like a wave and almost wants to hug Sasuke. He also wants to punch Sasuke for managing to sneak up on him so early in the morning. Then again, Sasuke could still be mad… Mad at Naruto for dragging him to that party, for fucking him when he was drunk. Anything physical when Sasuke was in one of his moods, and Naruto was sure he'd end up in the wall on the other side of the room.

Naruto licks his lips, eyeing the glass of water. He'd suddenly very aware of his dry cotton-mouth and takes the proffered glass of water, downing it in one go. Then he takes the pills and swallows them dry, eyes on Sasuke.

He is dressed in a pair of plain ninja-issue blue pants that hang low on his hips and nothing else. Naruto can see where his fingerprints are appearing in blue and black bruises on Sasuke's hips and shoulders, and there's red marks that look suspiciously like bite marks on his neck. The worried pit in Naruto's stomach grows larger by the second.

His mouth goes dry again as he watches Sasuke tap his foot on the floor expectantly. Naruto swallows. "Man, I'm-"

"You're late." Sasuke cuts him off. Naruto blinks owlishly "What?"

Sasuke sighs and rolls his eyes as if he has better things to do than explain himself. His gaze settles on the clock that sits on the bedside table. "You're mission started fifteen minutes ago, idiot."

_"… SHIT!_"

* * *

Naruto can't help but smirk a little as he tugs the sleeve of his jacket past his hand, jogging over roofs and desperately hoping Neji will be late just once (fat chance). Because in a lot of ways, having Sasuke back was a whole new world to be explored. And then in other, simpler ways, it was exactly, perfectly, and deliciously the same.

* * *

**And this is the start... of a rather long complicated story about two dolts who somehow manage to make a family for themselves. How, I do not know, because as the way life goes, there is no sense. Things just... happen.**

**Anyways, be prepared if you wish to continue reading this story, because not only does it have gay sex, it has lesbian sex. And hetero sex. And m-preg, multiple threesomes, foursomes and fivesomes, not to mention the huge amounts of "Lols" I've planned.**

**And, no fear (well almost) of abandonment! As we speak, I already have four other written chapters and up to chapter nine planned. Plus a very loving, helping (annoying) best friend who is egging me on uncontrollably and acting as my beta. I never realized how many things sounded awkward in my writing until she pointed them out.**

**In this story though, I'm weaning out my use of random Japanese language in english writing. They will still be in Japan and such, but I will not be writing "Usaratonkachi" ten times for each chapter. It gives me a headache.**

**Also, for each chapter, there will not be an author's note this size, in case you were worrying. This is just the start, and I'm trying to get stuff out of the way. XD**

**And, In case you were wondering who was going to be included in this so-called "Family" (and are incapable of reading the damn summaries) here's the list: ****Sasuke, ****Naruto, ****Sakura****, Ino, ****Hinata, and ****Kiba (possibly).**

**If you have issues with any of these pairings, cause they all get paired with each other at one point or another, talk to yourself about it, because I DON'T CARE. MUAHAHAHA.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Song of the Chapter: You and I – Lady Gaga

Beta: TheDetergenator

Words: 3,007 (- haha, 007. James Bond)


	2. Chapter 1: the Beginning

**Family - Beginning**

* * *

_I've spent my life wonderin',_  
_Wonderin' when I'd find you_  
_I searched for all these years_  
_And now you're right here_

_. . ._

* * *

It's August, and Konoha is hot.

It was swamped in one of the biggest heat waves they'd had in years and getting warmer every day. Missions had slowed to a grinding halt, and days were spent trying to stay cool and away from the sweltering sun. The grass had started to turn dry and brittle under the effervescent sun, the plants drying up in their parched soil, and Naruto was seriously starting to miss rainy days.

He peered up through the leaves of the tree he was under at the endless blue sky, beautiful even with the dry heat it brought. He cursed it with all his might. A cloud, even just a little one, would be welcomed as a change from the constant sun and constant brightness. He was starting to think that he'd somehow ended up in Suna instead of behind his own village walls.

Beside him, Sasuke breathes slow, deep breaths, dozing the day away. It had been a year now, a year since his trial and Naruto can still feel the presence of an Anbu just out of sight a few yards away. Something twisted in his gut. Hurt as he was, he could have escaped. Knowing Sasuke, he would have even if he were on the brink of death. Something as small as that wouldn't have stopped him in the least. But Naruto had asked him to stay and after all these years of constant running and constant fighting, it had been the last straw. Sasuke had stayed, gone back to Konoha and nearly died in the process.

Things were getting better though. At least the glares had stopped being sent out every time Sasuke set foot in the streets (most of the time), and Sasuke was re-adjusting well… okay, well by Sasuke standards. He went out of the house at least once a week, and that was more than Naruto could have asked for a few months ago.

Tsunade had given him work in her office doing paperwork. Nothing too serious, just menial paperwork that Tsunade couldn't shove off onto Shizune anymore. Naruto suspects that it's to keep Sasuke occupied (and sane), like that one saying… um… keep friends close but enemies closer? Yeah, that was the one.

Either way, it's still work, and Sasuke is still being considered a ninja. Didn't matter that the Council had stripped him of his Sannin rank all the way down to Chuunin again, and it didn't matter that the missions he did take were domestic things, like farming, herding or finding lost pets. He wasn't trying to leave and his security guard had lightened considerably, and Naruto could finally breathe. He could finally think to himself that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke was back for good.

He's jumpy though. Getting jumpier every day too, though Naruto couldn't blame him. The minute he'd set foot inside Konoha's walls over a year and a half ago, he'd hadn't been let back out. That much time cooped up did a number on any ninjas' nerves.

A heavy sigh. The leaves rustled dryly in the sparse wind. Naruto turns his head to where Sasuke is lying with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed with those dark lashes just brushing his cheeks. Naruto nudges him with an elbow.

Sasuke grunts, eyebrows scrunching together at the middle the way they did when he _really_ wanted to be left alone. Naruto nudges him again.

"What?" Sasuke growls, his eyes still not open, but him mouth curved down ever so slightly in what resembled a disappointed frown.

"You remember your parents?"

At this, Sasuke cracks his eyes open and turns his head to stare impassively at Naruto. His pitchy black eyes are deep and murky. He's still half asleep, even from his doze. He probably would be until he got his hands on some more of that herbal tea he got from Tsunade every month. It had something to do with curse mark side effects if Naruto remembers correctly…

"Of course." Sasuke says it like he thinks Naruto's being stupid. Which is what he probably is thinking, now that Naruto puts his mind to it. He looks back up at the foliage and props his head on his hands.

"Sometimes I'm jealous." He remarks. Then he snorts in the back of his throat. "Hell, I've been jealous for years. You have those memories of family and shit and all I get is two meetings." A sigh that sounds almost like it's trying to be a chuckle. "Not that I regret them or anything. Hell, I'd give my left hand to do it again."

Naruto smiles, holds his hand up in the air as if grasping for the leaves fluttering ten feet above them. "I mean, my dad. A freaking Hokage!" Naruto swallows the swell of bitterness at the thought that it's something he can never achieve. A jinchuuriki wouldn't even be considered to be in the running for hokage. Plus, that whole thing with siding against Konoha with a legalized "traitor" kinda ruined it...

He stuffs those thoughts down into a drawer in the back of his mind, pasting his grin back onto his face. A drop of sweat slides down his temple. "Then my mom…" His grin grows genuine. "Man, my mom was _awesome_. Jinchuuriki before me and then married to the Hokage…"

Naruto goes silent, suddenly aware of the fact that Sasuke is watching him carefully, measuring him with unreadable black eyes, and even in his sleep dazed state, the feeling is unnerving. Naruto looks to the side, watching as a blue jay tends to her nest of squalling chicks. "I dunno. I just wish..." He rubs the back of his head, ruffling up the blonde locks that are threatening to stick themselves to his skull in the back.

"What would you do if you had a family?"

Naruto stops, looks over at Sasuke who is just watching him, his face blank, eyes trained on Naruto's own, mouth set in a straight, unemotional line. Naruto gulps and, breaking the stare, turns his face up again and shrugs. "I don't know… I guess if I had my parents back…" He shakes his head. "I'd start over. Figure things out from there. And if I were to have a _family_ family, with little kids and stuff and a…" He pauses, not sure what to put in… not another girl. He liked girls just fine, but Sasuke… "another person in it, I'd-"

Naruto scratches his head, then laughs aloud. "I'd be a dad! And I'd be the best dad ever!" He proclaims, and then he's laughing again, louder this time, giving himself a little cheer.

Sasuke nods, looks away, and things grow quiet once again. The wind has stopped and the air is growing oppressive with its heat once again. Naruto toys with the thought of stripping off his thin cotton shirt, but with Sasuke this close, he'd probably be tempted to start something. While public voyeurism was kinky in it's way, he wasn't sure whether Sasuke would enjoy it or not… or anyone who decided to pass this way.

A thought occurs to him and he sits up suddenly, looking at Sasuke who has his eyes open to the sky. "Hey with us like… like this…" Naruto gestures and hand down at himself and then towards Sasuke, not quite sure whether he could call them lovers or boyfriends or what.

Sasuke raises a perfectly arched eyebrow delicately and Naruto ignores the flood of heat to his groin. God he loves it when Sasuke does that. He shakes his head. "How… How do you plan on your… _revival_ of the Uchiha clan thingy?

Sasuke doesn't answer, but his lips tighten. Naruto almost regrets asking it at the way Sasuke's face goes carefully immobile, the little color given to him in the heat fading from his high cheekbones.

"I'll find a way."

* * *

**Updates will be every Saturday night. Hopefully regularly. And as of so far, all progress on the writing of the story is actually ahead of schedule. **

**So, this chapter is really the start of things. After this, everything will start snowballing in a race downhill. Wow, I should be a poet, cause that was great. Anywho. **

**I can't give much away, but to anyone who guesses what Sasuke means by "Find a way." You'll get a cookie. And, hint, it won't end up being what happens for quite a while. Double the points if you guess what actually happens next! (Points are how much of a preview you get. 1 point is one paragraph. 2 points is two.)**

**Aside from random FF games that have nothing to do with anything, there's not much that needs explaining. Ask if you want, I won't bite!**

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**Beta: TheDeterginator**

**Song of the Chapter: Savannah – Relient K**

**Words: 1,544**


	3. Chapter 2: Becoming

**Family: Becoming**

**. . .**

* * *

_Two birds sittin' singing on a telephone_  
_faster than the kids that hit you with the pillow_  
_And when you fall and you know it seems right_  
_when you find, when you fight_  
_Story's keep filling homes with the love and you fall just to figure out_  
_please help see all the things as you shake and shout._

* * *

Naruto wakes up to the sound of insistent rapping on his window pane. Cracking an eyes open and squinting up at his window, Naruto groans, waving a hand tiredly at the Anbu who's crouched there.

"Go 'way. 'm on vacation!" He grunts out and rolls over. He'd just come back from a mission last night and he deserved at _least_four more hours of sleep. Tsunade could hold her panties and wait.

Apparently, the Anbu didn't understand what vacation meant. His bird mask is completely impassive as he continues his rapping. Naruto is tempted to throw his lamp at him, but that lamp had cost a good eight dollars…

"Alright, alright already!" He says, sitting up with a tired sigh. His limbs still feel weighted down from the long journey back and then the hour spent in Tsunade's office filling out a mission report. He twists himself, hearing the satisfying _pop crackle crackle_of his back realigning itself. The knocking continues and Naruto swears under his breath, standing up. He flings the window open, glaring furiously at the bird mask. "When I say I'm getting up, I mean it!"

Bird mask doesn't answer, just holds out a letter with Tsunade's seal on it. "Your presence is requested by Tsunade-sama." He says and the minute the latter settles into Naruto's hands, he's gone. Naruto snorts. Great. Another summon.

Sitting back down on the bed, Naruto sighs and stares at the blank envelope. "Wonderful." He grumbles and rubs his hand over his face.

The summons itself is simple as it always is. Classified reasons, presence needed for briefing, all the usual stuff. It didn't mention a specific mission though, which was strange. At the bottom, scrawled in Tsunade's messy handwriting was a quick: _Naruto! Get your puny ass to my office! It's about Uchiha!_

Naruto feels a lead ball drop into the pit of his stomach. Uchiha. Something with Sasuke? A million thoughts rush through his head. People weren't entirely at ease with Sasuke being in the village still, even if it had been over a year now. Someone could have come in and-

No, no. He would have killed them on the spot. … Or maimed them, since he's trying to stay on the villages good side. Killing people wouldn't exactly be a first priority with making nice nice, would it?

But Orochimaru could have come back. Even if Naruto had seen Sasuke personally kill the last of Orochimaru's test subjects that held the man's chakra in them, Sasuke still had the remnants of his own that even Itachi couldn't eradicate. When Sasuke slept, his most relaxed form, the curse seal activated, trying to take over Sasuke's mind while he was defenseless. It was why he was so sluggish in the mornings now, and why Tsunade gave him special tea mixes to drink when he woke up. The seal could have won and Sasuke could have… could have…

A thought occurs to Naruto. What if Sasuke had left? What if he had just been waiting all this time to leave or if he'd been waiting for a signal to go? He could be running right now, with ninja on his tail trying to catch him… ready to-

Naruto was dressed in record time and flying over the rooftops towards Tsunade's office faster than he had in years.

* * *

Tsunade had aged.

Well, really, she'd been aging, but time was finally starting to take it's toll, and her jutsu wasn't holding her up as much anymore. The bags under her eyes were as pronounced as the wrinkles creasing her forehead, and her mouth had become pinched and hard. When she thought no one was looking, her hands would shake sometimes. Naruto cringes every time he sees it.

The war had taken a lot out of her, and it was seeming like she wasn't going to gain it back anytime soon. Thankfully, her words still hold enough of a bite to distract him from that fact.

"You stupid, conniving, insolent, ungrateful, self-assuming-"

Naruto dodges the first book heaved at his head, though the sake bottle catches him off guard, drenching him in nasty smelling alcohol. The second book lands square in his groin.

Sasuke is forgotten as Naruto buckles down, hands cradling his crotch tenderly. He tries not to heave his guts up onto her newly polished floor. He grins up at her painfully. "Nice to see you too, you old hag."

Tsunade it still going, raving prancing about her room as if she wasn't nearing her sixties and supposed to be the all prestigious leader of Konoha. She finishes with a final, indefinite "Annoying brat!"

Naruto wheezes, attempts to make his groin stop throbbing as he rolls to his knees, and gives her a somewhat mocking, over-exaggerated and hunched-over salute. "I love you too, Granny." He tries to chirrup to her.

Tsunade slumps down in her chair, twisting it around so she's not facing Naruto and looking out through her massive windows. She rubs her temples and holds a hand out for more sake. An Anbu from the wall materializes and places the white bottle in her outstretched hands, disappearing before she can take the first long dreg.

"I don't know what the hell you did this time, but Uchiha wants you." She finally says with a heavy sigh, caught halfway between frustration and annoyance. Naruto nearly chokes when her words sink in, his face flushing a deep shade of red.

"E-Excuse me?!"

Tsunade shoves a stack of files across her desk at him and Naruto stands up gingerly, squatting to readjust himself before picking the manila folder up. "It was filed this morning," She sighs, waving her hand around like the whole affair is ridiculous. "Since you're still technically a minor, it's perfectly legal, though somewhat out of place in my preferences…"

Naruto flips open the cover marked with bright red lettering in the form of "Family Justice." The first page has Sasuke's personal forms, his date of birth, parents, graduation to ninja level, separation from Konoh-

Naruto flips the sheet over, unwilling to read it, already knowing it by heart. He'd seen it before. The second page was working papers, papers legalizing Sasuke's age and verifying Clan head eligibility… Huh. Sasuke had turned eighteen by now, hadn't he? Maybe Naruto should have gotten him a present or something…

The third sheet was confusing… All big words and such. Tsunade was talking on in his periphery, but Naruto was too caught on the words "adoption into family" to pay her much heed. And then he was scanning up and down, flipping back and forth, surprised and confused as all hell. He looks at Tsunade incredulously.

"What the hell is this?" He says, putting the file down a bit harder than necessary. Tsunade rolls her eyes but doesn't touch the papers. She swallows some more sake, waving her drink around excessively as she talks.

"For some stupid reason the Uchiha wants to adopt you. Not as an adopted child, but as co-Head of his reestablishment of the Uchiha clan." She grunts, won't meet his eyes. "Don't know how he thinks he can manage that since you two are men…"

Naruto pretends not to hear her and stares at the sheets filled out scrupulously in Sasuke's neat handwriting. He wants to read them over, but he's pretty sure he'll only understand about half of the legalese.

"Brat, are you listening?"

Naruto looks up at Tsunade dazedly and she pins him with a disappointed stare. "I said, it needs your confirmation. You saying yes or what?" Naruto can't decide whether the smile tugging at the corners of her lips is rueful or genuine. He can't find it in himself to care as much as he should have.

"… Oh, fuck yes."

* * *

It's October and the oppressive heat has ceded into a comfortable warm. On good days, the sun would set in a mild sky, on bad days, much needed rain would fall and hint at a touch of briskness.

The house they'd chosen was near the heart of the Uchiha district, one of the newly built ones (because Naruto can't stand the idea of living in one of Sasuke's dead relatives' houses, and neither of them want to tackle the idea of Sasuke's childhood home). It's spacious and roomy, with open halls and sturdy walls, a well-built courtyard to sit as the centerpiece. Their furniture is new, the paint still fresh, and Naruto can't say he calls it "home" yet. Maybe it just needs to be lived in longer.

Sasuke is studying scrolls in the family room. Naruto watches him blow his bangs away from his face irritatedly as he stirs his ramen in the kitchen, bangs that settled perfectly back to their original places, framing Sasuke's pale face and accenting his high cheekbones and strong jawline. Everything still smelled like new plastic. Smiling a little, he picks his cup up gingerly, holding it with the barest tips of his fingers to keep it from searing his palms. He sits on the sofa across from Sasuke.

Sasuke doesn't look up, but his jaw clenches closed. He knows Naruto's there.  
Naruto measures him with blue, blue eyes. His birthday is looming close and he is oh-so tempted to pass it by Sasuke once again, though he's sure Sasuke will try to rip his head off if he says it again. Naruto contemplates saying it anyways.

"So-"

"I'm concentrating."

Naruto winces, instantly shot down. He gives a shrug, lets Sasuke's comment roll off his back and settles to eating his ramen.

He's near the bottom of the cup when a rock settles to the bottom of his stomach. He stares at the noodle hanging off his chopstick, not bothering to look up at Sasuke who has paused in his reading to watch Naruto NOT eat his ramen.

Finally, Naruto looks up watches Sasuke watch him. He sets his still unfinished ramen aside, leans back against the couch and blows a huge breathe out through his mouth. Sasuke still has not gone back to reading, but his eyes won't meet Naruto's. They rest on the ramen cup.

"Hey… Sasuke?"

Silence. Naruto knows he's listening anyways.

"About that whole 'Revive the Clan' thingy we were talking about?"

Sasuke stiffens. Of course he remembers. The idiot wouldn't shut-up about family when Sasuke wanted to sleep. He still has not solved that equation in a suitable way. "… your point?"

Naruto gives a nonchalant shrug as if the topic doesn't matter to him one way or another. "Well, if we're it, than we're kind of a pathetic excuse for a clan." It's unspoken that even if Naruto was an Uchiha on paper, at heart, he would always be an Uzumaki. Neither of them touches the subject.

Sasuke struggles not to roll his eyes. Instead, he slips out a sarcastic, "Really? I hadn't noticed." And continues reading.

Naruto's smile is easy and comfortable. He eyes Sasuke's lazily. "We could get more people." He remarks. Sasuke's eyes stop moving on the page. "Ya know, girls and stuff. Babies." His smile widens. "Maybe a dog."

Because Sasuke's boxes were empty, and Naruto's boxes were half full. Neither of them wanted to say it, but the house is too big, too open, and too empty. Part of Sasuke's parole was to continue the Uchiha line. So far, he and Naruto had put that on unsteady footing.

"… I'll think about it."

Naruto can't stop the grin that reaches from ear to ear. Coming from Sasuke, that was practically a yes.

* * *

Within a matter of days, invites were sent out to the general Rookie Nine. Females of course, since Sasuke balked at the idea of asking anyone of the male gender.

Ino had ended up on their front doorstep, both her parents flanking her sides like imposing guardians. Naruto had made Sasuke talk to them. Inoichi was too intimidating.

"May I help you?" Sasuke says, formal, even in his casual-wear. His eyes fan almost imperceptibly over Ino as her father holds out the papers that Naruto himself had slipped into Ino's mailbox.

"Young man, you have some serious explaining to do." He says, pale eyes flashing almost indignantly. Ino's mother is so red, Naruto thinks she's going to faint. He skitters to the kitchen before she can pin him with her piercing green eyes.

When Sasuke ushers Ino's fuming parents to their parlor, Ino makes a beeline for Naruto's hideout behind the safe doors of their kitchen. Naruto grins at her sheepishly and jerks a thumb at the door that's swinging closed woodenly.

"I'm guessing that's a no." He says quietly. Ino shrugs, folds her arms over her chest and leans against the counter. She's wearing a shapeless gray shirt and skin-tight black pants. Naruto can't help it when his eyes drift to her chest before looking back up at her face.

"Well, actually, father isn't completely against it. Mother though…" She trails off. It's been awhile since they've seen each other, Naruto thinks. She's beautiful, though she always had been. Her curves have rounded and plushed in all the right ways, ash blonde hair wound into a messy bun at the back of her neck. She has some dirt smudged across her cheekbone. In a way, it makes her all the more appealing. Especially when she lets a sigh escape her delicately arched throat. "She was the one who found the note. Dragged me away from two customers…" She frets. Naruto struggles to focus on her words.

"So, your mom's weird, your dad's ok, and you are…?" He tests. He knows she doesn't like when he bounces, so he settles for clutching the handle of the stove as if to keep himself grounded.

Ino snorts. "Being one of Sasuke's booty-call girls with no strings attached? I'd be stupid to say no." She says snootily, as if it were her right to be a harem girl to the Uchiha. She then looks at Naruto hazily, giving him a once over that makes his hair stand on end with pleasure. "Though the bonus package is also… appealing."

Naruto can't help but scoop her up in a hug, arms winding around her waist so tightly she squeaks. He swings her around, laughing giddily as he does so, ignoring Ino's feeble attempts at getting him to set her down with harsh words. He laughs even more, because her hands are on his shoulders and not letting go and it feels _wonderful_.

An hour later and Sasuke appears triumphantly, with a satisfied Inoichi and a somewhat miffed looking Kikku. Ino nearly skips with joy to her parents, hugging them both around the neck. Naruto can only watch with his grin splitting his face in half. He's so surprised he nearly chokes when Inoichi breaks away from his daughter to clap Naruto on the back gruffly.

"Take care of her." Was the best he got from the man. It was more than enough.

It turned out, the conditions Ino's parents had set were fairly simple. Ino's first two children they wanted to the the godparents of. Easy enough, even if it did make Ino slightly plum colored and Sasuke stare at the ceiling as if he was trying to burn a hole through it. The second condition though was a wedding type party. Not a wedding, since in the legal sense, none of them were entering and matrimonial relationship. Still, Kikku insisted that "her baby girl deserves to have a wedding, whether it's legitimate or not."

Ino resembled a beet, and Sasuke is struggling to keep his so-not-a-smile intact. Naruto can't stop laughing, even when Kikku hits him over the head repeatedly.

Tenten's reply came a few days later. A simple "Uninterested." It wasn't all that surprising. Her competitive nature had driven her into the clutches of the Anbu forces. A new family didn't seem like the right career option, something Sasuke had only grudgingly accepted as valid terms.

Sakura's reply had been quiet; a small, neatly written letter on flowery parchment, left in their mailbox. Sasuke had been the one to open it, with Naruto nearly breathing down his neck to get a look at it.

_Of course you dolts._

And at that moment, Naruto had never felt happier, because their family was coming together. It was actually happening and Naruto could feel himself getting lighter and brighter with each passing day. He and Sasuke had a family. It was _his_family.

It was perfect.

* * *

**I had a very nice person make a note to me on the last chapter that Sannin wasn't an actual rank for ninja's, and I realize that. When I was writing it, it bothered me a bit, but it is technically still something to be acheived if thats how people are recognizing Sasuke and Naruto. And Naruto technically did get to Sannin mode in the manga... I don't know. My reasoning was that they were super powerful, and high level jonin didn't cut it. **

**Also, Another equally nice person, asked who was dominant in Sasuke and Naruto's relationship. Predominantly, Naruto is top, since he loves forcing Sasuke to do something, and the only way Sasuke will bottom is through force. Naruto does bottom though, generally when he'd feeling lazy or Sasuke is upset about something.**

**A message to all you nice reviewers who don't have accounts? GET SOME. Because they're free, they're easy, and they make answering these questions so much easier! lol**

**Anyway! Now that that's cleared up, I'd like to say an extraspecial warm thanks to by Beta-er, TheDeterginator, who went over this at least five times with me, because THINGS KEPT CHANGING. And to you lovely people who, since the story was posted a week ago, have given me so many favorites and so many reviews! I love you all!**

**On a side note, sorry this is late. My landlady's dog got out while she was at work and I spent the day chasing the damn thing (small dogs... don't get them). Then my boyfriend's (my landlady's son... how ironic) family came over and there were screaming children all over the house so... yeah.**

**To those of you with big families... you know how it rolls.**

**I'll treat you all with a double upload next week as a sorry. Someone just has to remind me so I don't forget... lol.**

**And now, the obnoxiously long endnote, ends.**

* * *

_Song of the Chapter: Lemonbright* - Talain Rayne (feat. The Movement)_

_Words: 3,285_

_Beta: TheDeterginator_

* * *

Meanings:

Kikku - (_Ino's mom's name in this fic_) means chrysanthymum


	4. Chapter 3: Be Real

**Family: Be Real**

**. . .**

* * *

_Give me what I want, I wanna leave me behind_

_Tell me how to free my body, find peace of mind_

_This is getting good, I'm feeling like I'm alive_

_Show me who I am, I'll leave my world all behind_

* * *

November rolls in with brisk winds and even brisker rains, dampening the leaves that had already fallen to the ground. Missions pick up the pace to be completed before the winter snows begin to settle in. Naruto finds himself being sent on mission after mission. Once or twice, an Anbu file has found its way onto his dresser in Sasuke's house. Every time, it's been slipped into the wastebasket before Sasuke can see.

The house isn't really "theirs" yet. Mostly because with them in separate rooms still and both of them being so busy, there hasn't been much time to actually live. Naruto's been chomping at the bit to get some alone time with Sasuke, but it was rare to even see him in the mornings anymore. The days Naruto wasn't on mission were spent working off excess energy at the training fields.

Not much is said about their kind-of adoption/partnership/marriage. There isn't much to be said. Ino is opting to wait for the warmer months to arrive once again before she moves in with them officially. It helped that Ino's parents, while more relaxed than Sakura's parents on the matter, had deemed it unfit for an unmarried woman to live with two men. She settled for haunting their house at least three times a week, to Sasuke's chagrin and Naruto's delight.

Sakura is hanging around between missions and long days at the hospital, carefully beneath the radar of her ever vigilant parents. Both being civilians, they had expected their daughter to marry the normal way, a belief that most of the ninja community scoffed at. Being that the normal trend of ninjas was that the stranger they were, the more powerful they were; setting up an essential "walk-in family" was not deemed strange. Naruto and Sasuke had both nearly breached Sannin level with Sakura right behind them. That they were still sane was a small and very welcomed blessing.

Normal civilians, hidden from most of their own ninjas' culture, chose to ignore the unexpected quirks of their fighting force. Unless one of those ninja happened to be part of the family, in which case, they were to stay completely and painfully "normal."

Sakura had decided to keep her decision hidden until she turned eighteen.

Naruto scratches his head when a drop of water trickles down behind his ear. It's the last day of his surveillance mission, and he is more than ready for Shikamaru to show up so he can go home. He's cold, he's wet, and he's tired. His bed seems very enticing right about now.

The week-long mission had been a pleasant reprieve of the chaos that has been uprooted since his and Sasuke's letters had been sent out. This "family" idea is hard enough to get used to without Ino's parents (her mother, namely) breathing down his neck to see if he is up to par.

Secretly, he dreads the day Iruka finds out about this whole plan. Who knew what levels his maternal nature would take him to? Fear of castration was also a relevant issue.

Tsunade at least had been positive. She had practically encouraged him in her half drunk, nonsensical way. Naruto hadn't seen her act this young in years and it's refreshing. And while Kakashi had also been accepting, Naruto always snickers when he remembers his reaction.

_"So.. Me'n Sasuke are starting a family."_

_Kakashi's eyes slid over to Naruto quickly, not at all surprised. He nods and looks back at his little red book of porn. "Good, good." He hums._

_Naruto slurps some more of his ramen. "We asked some girls too. Ino and Sakura said yes." He adds, trying to be nonchalant, not sure if his giddiness leaked through._

_At this, Kakashi looks mildly startled in that bland Kakashi-way of his. "Oh?"_

_Naruto grins, leans back on his stool. "Yeah, Ino's parents were weird at first, but Sasuke got them to agree. They want a weird wedding type party thing though, and to name Ino's first two kids. We haven't even gotten to that part! Though Ino does have nice-"_

_"Please." Kakashi cuts him off, proceeding to bury his nose back into his beloved book. "Spare me the details of your private life."_

_Naruto blinks at him owlishly, before bursting out laughing. Kakashi just rolls his eye, muttering about "things he didn't need to know about his innocent students."_

A hand taps his shoulder and Naruto nearly jumps out of his skin. He turns to find a somewhat soggy looking Shikamaru eyeing him lazily. "You weren't even paying attention, were you?" He says dryly. Naruto grins at him, arching his back with his arms outstretched above him.

"Nope!" He grins cheerily. Shikamaru sighs and sits down in the seat Naruto has recently vacated.

"Whatever." He waves his hand and Naruto grins, happy to be released so quickly. Without waiting for Shikamaru to say anything else, he flits off into the damp trees.

Really, the mission isn't far from home… only half a day's worth of travel. Granted, Naruto probably travels faster than most people, but still. Even with the rain trying to mat his hair to his scalp and wet leaves sticking themselves to his cheeks, he enjoys the smell of leaf loam and wet grass in the evening air.

* * *

Sitting on the couch in his and Sasuke's living room is both the best and worst thing that Naruto has done all week. Best, because it is so warm and fluffy, soft enough to sink into, and long enough to stretch out on. After the hard chairs in Tsunade's office, it felt like heaven.

It was the worst, because the minute Naruto sat down, the doorbell rang.

Naruto sighs, his hand running over his face to push his still damp bangs away from his face. Grunting, he rolls himself off of the couch, grumbling the whole way to the door and pulling it open with a strangled "What?"

The sight stops him. Because before him is a very angry, very wet, very motherly man. Who just so happens to be wearing a look that clearly says "Once I kill you, I will bring you back, string you up by your toenails and kill you again."

Naruto's worst nightmare has been confirmed: Iruka had officially found out.

* * *

All in all, Iruka took it very well.

Initially, there had been some screaming. Well, maybe more than some, but it was better than blowing the house up. Sure, the table was broken, and it would be hard to explain to Sasuke why, but Iruka hadn't strangled him.

Naruto nurses his broken nose with the bag of broccoli he found tucked away in the back of the freezer. After the scolding he had received (and the broken nose), Iruka had managed to calm down enough to request an invitation to the impending Yamanaka funded party, and even congratulate him! And as reluctant as those congratulations had been, they were there, and that meant more that the world to Naruto.

Sasuke walks in, paperwork clutched to his chest and the hood of his jacket pulled over his face. He spares a look at Naruto. "Oh. You're back."

Naruto waves half-heartedly from his reclined position on the (still heavenly) couch. Sasuke nods, shakes himself off and proceeds to the kitchen.

"... What happened to the table?"

* * *

"Goddammit."

Naruto shakes the pen he is holding, peering down its length as if trying to see the reason why it stopped working. Sasuke sighs beside him and holds out his own pen. Naruto looks at it as if it were alien. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

Another sigh. "You write, moron." Sasuke quips. Naruto hides his embarrassment and takes the pen from him, tapping it against his jaw as he stares at the mission report. He glances over at Sasuke who it intensely focused on whatever paperwork Tsunade had given him this time, fingers deftly twirling his new pen absentmindedly.

Naruto lunges, not caring that his jaw bumps Sasuke's forehead roughly, his arms wrapping around the other boy in a bear hug. "Sasuke..." He whines.

Sasuke's hand plants itself on Naruto's cheek, pushing and squishing Naruto's face up unattractively. His knee comes up, tries to press itself into Naruto's stomach. "I am not doing your work for you." He hisses out. Naruto makes a kissy face.

"But I thought you loved me!" He says in mock outrage, swinging his kissy face to and fro. Sasuke gets a wild-eyed look, pretty face stretching in different ways that his usual mask. He tries to shove Naruto away, but Naruto has the advantage of weight on his side and is slowly pressing Sasuke back into the sofa with him.

"Get off me, idiot!" Sasuke growls and narrowly evades Naruto's lips again. He does not however, evade the hand that snakes its way beneath his waistline and grips his junk. Sasuke jerks, startled, and Naruto uses the opportunity to lean close enough to press his lips to Sasuke's.

Sasuke growls again, hands becoming insistent, but mouth trapped by Naruto's. He bites Naruto's lip when the other boy tries to shove his tongue inside. Naruto's hand comes up, calloused thumb pressing harshly against the curse mark on Sasuke's shoulder and Sasuke gives a loud gasp, melting almost instantaneously. Naruto grins, pressing their bodies flat together. Point for sensitive seals.

Naruto presses again and Sasuke _keens_. There's an immediate rise in his pants and Naruto shifts to accomodate the change. Sasuke's eyes open to glare and Naruto quickly plants his mouth over the seal and lets his tongue rasp across it. Sasuke shudders heavily, fists clenching in the back of Naruto's shirt. Naruto lets the hand that's cupping Sasuke's junk massage gently, loving the reactions he gets from Sasuke that are so different from his usual quiet self.

Sasuke writhes on a particular stroke and his jaw bumps Naruto's where he is still laving at the curse mark. Naruto lets his teeth scrape over the seal. Sasuke's nails dig into his back painfully and Naruto feels his hips roll automatically, trapping his hand into stillness. He bites down, right in the center, and Sasuke's back arches, mouth agape, black eyes wide open in an sharp shout.

Naruto wipes his now sticky hand on the side of his pants, watching Sasuke's face as he comes down from the high. Sasuke's mouth is parted, and he licks his lips slowly, eyes wide and staring at nothing in particular and pale skin flushed on his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows furrow as he looks down at Naruto who stares right back.

There's a strangled choke from the doorway and Naruto and Sasuke both look over to see Ino frozen in her spot, a hairbrush dragged halfway through her long blonde and wet hair, her already lip-glossed lips parted in a surprised "o."

"Hey, Ino!" Naruto says, giving a small wave. "Sasuke won't help me with my paperwork. You wanna help?"

Sasuke splutters and Naruto is kicked unceremoniously to the floor, landing with a _thump_ on the thin carpet. Ino blinks like an owl, unable to push words past her peach lips. Sasuke pulls his pants up, swearing the whole time and storms past her down the hall. Naruto laughs loudly.

"Hey, at least you know the shower's free!"

Sasuke holds up the middle finger. "Fuck you."

"Love you too, sugar!" Naruto cackles. Ino blinks at him, then at Sasuke's receding and stormy back, then back at Naruto. "Next time invite me?"

* * *

Just as the November days are twisting into the snowy blizzards of December, Sakura winds up on their doorstep, looking sheepish and downcast, her pillow under one arm and her suitcase under the other. Her eyes pretty jade eyes are red and slightly puffy, her small, thin shoulders hunched in against the weather and making her frame seem smaller than Naruto knows it to be. She gives a quiet grin at Naruto, who's opened the door for her.

"Got a place to stay?"

Naruto pulls her into a hug and Sasuke lays a complacent hand on her shoulder. When Ino arrives the next morning to see a tired Sakura and her suitcase, She pulls the girl towards her and they cry together.

After that, nothing else really needed to be said.

**NaruSasu smut. Because it's beautiful. This is, of course, the light version. You want the full, you PM me, I PM it back. That's how it goes.**

**Plus, lotsa people asking me for lemons. Truth is, I'm scared to put lemons up on FF. I know quite a few of my favorite lemon authors on here got their accounts cancelled because of their lemons... I don't want to be one of those authors.**

**If you didn't get it, _italic_ is a flashback, or memory. Just a blip.**

**More anonymous reviews sent. I love you guys, but I'm better at explaining stuff in PMs whereas in the Authors notes, they get rushed and confusing.**

**Question was this time: I'm expecting Lemons and what are Hinata's and Kiba's situations.**

**Well, Hinata's situation will be explained around chapters 6 and 7 (around the time she'll be featuring in the fic). It's all about the way her clan works and since she is supposed to be the heir, it'll be about how they have decided they don't want her etc, etc... I don't want to give away too much too early. Point is, she'll become Family, which is the goal.**

**Kiba... well, the family is kind of like being settled in a "family" but you can do it and be with anyone you want. No restrictions. Kiba takes that sometimes to "have some fun." Mainly with the girls but eventually, with the boys too. He gets dragged in eventually, but why is going to be a surprise XDD.**

**Lemons. As I said before, I won't put explicit lemons on FF, I'm afraid of what they'll do if they find out... I have general ones already planned and written, and hardcore ones on my desktop. GET AN ACCOUNT AND I WILL SEND THEM TO YOU THROUGH A PM.**

* * *

_Song of the Chapter: Tucan - KidsOf88_

_Words: 2,496_

_Betas: The Deterginator and my friend Raven who I don't know her account on here..._


	5. Chapter 4: Holidays

**Family - Holiday**

**. . . **

* * *

_Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck_  
_Some nights, I call it a draw_  
_Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle_  
_Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off_

* * *

Because Sakura refuses to go a single holiday without decorations, Naruto and Sasuke suddenly find themselves outside of the warmth of their house far more than they wanted to be.

In between trips to and from Sakura to retrieve her copious amounts of stuff (why did girls need all this crap anyways?), they shopped. Naruto swears that by the end of December, there was enough food in the house to feed a platoon. A platoon of Chouji. And Gai. Ugh.

But not just that. Aside from the amazing amounts of food Ino and Sakura had bought, there was christmas crap. Everything under the sun; christmas lights, christmas presents, christmas ornaments, christmas cards, christmas specials... Naruto wasn't sure he liked the colors red and green anymore.

And now that Sakura is officially moved in (with her absolutely ridiculous amounts of stuff), Ino is at their house six days out of seven. More often than not, he will find them chatting away about how Ino's parents were letting Sakura in on the "wedding" party, how that little boy had sliced his hand and gone all the way to the hospital himself, how you couldn't find any good bakchoi lately... And while having the two girls bounce around his house comfortably is a quiet thrill in its own way, Naruto seriously hopes that when this is all settled, the girls won't act like it's a permanent sleepover all the time. And judging by Sasuke's growing tempers, he thinks the same as well.

One morning, Naruto wakes to the delicious smell of coffee wafting its way to his room. He rolls out of bed, shivering as his feet meet the cold hardwood floor and makes his way to the kitchen.

Sakura has her short pink hair pulled back in a ponytail, humming as she heats water for the tea Sasuke would need when he managed to pull himself from under his covers. It's a common sight. In the full week Sakura has been here, every morning, she is the first one up, the first one dressed and the first one urging them all to get moving. Ino meanwhile, busies herself by slumping over the kitchen bar, her head one giant rat's nest, yesterday's mascara smudged down her cheeks. She waves a feeble hello and Naruto accompanied by a moan and a grab at the cup of coffee Sakura is handing her.

Naruto takes the cup she hands to him, smiling cheesily and not sure whether he's allowed to grab her ass or not. They hadn't really... done anything yet. Between unpacking, paperwork and holidays, down-time was nonexistent. Still... Naruto sighs. He misses afternoon naps surrounded by cups of ramen. Sakura had it out for the instant meals.

Finally, Sasuke drags himself in, half of the hair on his head sticking to his face. What Naruto would see of the rest of his face though was covered in linen lines and barely opened eyes. Naruto grins cheekily.

"Well, good morning sleeping beauty! Don't you look lovely this morning?" He coos. Sasuke blinks at him blearily, not understanding, then grunts, seating himself in the nearest open chair and attempting to sit straight. Naruto snorts. Even half asleep, the bastard tried to gain some sense of propriety. Naruto wonders if Sasuke realizes he's still holding onto his comforter.

Ino looks up, glances between Naruto and Sasuke to determine whether or not she is the target of their one-sided conversation, then flips of Naruto anyway.

"Hey! I wasn't even-"

"Don't talk to me before I've finished my coffee." Ino growls. Sakura snickers already well-versed in Ino's morning routine enough to not attempt starting a conversation this early.

It's quiet for a while, filled with snippets of Naruto's grumbling to himself and long sips of hot drinks. Sasuke is finally looking more awake now that his second mug of tea is consumed and Ino is trying to rub her makeup off her face, a sign that everybody is finally waking up. Sakura claps her hands together.

"We need a tree!" She says chipperly. She turns to looks at Sasuke who's staring at her with blank coal eyes. He doesn't say anything and she edges forward.

"We have everything set and there's only two more weeks until christmas, so we should totally get a tree to go in the living room." She opens the kitchen door, making her fingers into a picture frame and eyeing the corner of the living room with one eye closed. "Right there, and then we could get some decorations up!"

Naruto, seeing where this is going, tries to slowly inch is way to the door. Ino blocks it off determinedly. "Naruto should go too!" She supplies. With her hair poofed up and makeup surrounding her eyes smeared harshly everywhere, she looks part demon. Naruto decides not to try his chances getting around her.

Naruto finds himself miserably bundled up into his winter jacket and trudging through the snow with Sasuke grumbling beside him, swaddled in a thick scarf.

"I should be doing paperwork." Sasuke grumbles.

"You do paperwork everyday! You need to get out more." Naruto mock scolds and cringes under the murderous glare Sasuke sends him.

"Fine, you plan the wedding party, and I'll eat ramen all day." The sarcasm in Sasuke's voice positively _drips_.

"Ooo, easy tiger. You can't eat my ramen. It's been specially reserved." Naruto grins a nice, big, shit-eating grin, knowing how it will piss Sasuke off endlessly. And as predicted, Naruto ends up with his face in the snow, and Sasuke pulling his extended foot back towards himself before casually walking on.

"You don't even make any sense, moron."

Naruto rubs his nose, feeling the snow soak through the seat of his pants. "Bastard! After we get this damn tree, I am so kicking your ass!" He jogs to catch up.

As it turned out, everyplace Naruto and Sasuke went was sold out. And, knowing that neither of the girls would accept one of the cheap plastic ones that were still being sold, Naruto found himself swearing profusely as he followed Sasuke to the outskirts of the village in search of a nicely sized pine tree to cut down. There turned out to be none of those either.

Naruto stares up at the massive pine tree with its perfect top. It's looming tall, but it's the only tree in the area that doesn't have a deformed top, so it would have to do. Naruto turns to Sasuke beside him.

"Am I going, or are you?"

Sasuke stares at him scathingly. "Well, I'm not going alone, and are you going to drag it all the way down yourself?"

Naruto knows he's fully capable of chakra gluing the pine to his back and sidling down the tree himself. That didn't mean he wanted to.

The first branch is covered in sap. Naruto winces as it cakes his hand in resin. He pulls himself up the side of the tree hand over hand, glancing at Sasuke occasionally, speeding up when he thinks the bastard is getting ahead of him, and even though they are nearly running up the tree by the time they reach the top, it's a leisurely sort of competition. For a while they just sit there on the thinnest branches that can hold their weight and stare out over Konoha's snow filled streets, filled with the hum and buzz of christmas bustle. Naruto laughs when Sasuke's face screws up at the amount of pine and resin that has accumulated in his black hair.

Naruto claps his hand together, teetering dangerously on his branch. "Alright, where should we cut?"

Sasuke stood, hands on his hips and peered up at the very top-most branches, squinting his black eyes up into the bright sun. "House has seven foot ceilings. I'd say six feet down?"

Naruto climbs up, clinging as tree sways dangerously at the height. He blinks at the chipping trunk. "You got a tape measure?" He asks. Sasuke stares blankly at him for a minute, then sneers, looking away and cursing. He climbs up, estimating as best as possible before marking a spot on the trunk with his Kunai.

"We'll cut it down to size when we get back." He says tartly. Naruto laughs at him happily, dodges the punch Sasuke sends his way, and remarks smartly, "But I have to kick your ass when we get back!"

Naruto almost falls out of the tree when Sasuke's leg shoots out, aiming for Naruto's face.

It's a simple matter to chakra cut the tree. Getting the tree down though, is another matter. Even with two people, navigating the maze of oddly spaced branches is a hassle. Naruto has never had so many branches stuck in his hair and scrapes from needles over his arms. Well, maybe that one time when he fell into that thorn bush pranking Jiraiya...

By the time they got to the ground, Sasuke had tossed away his shredded jacket and Naruto was itching all the resin matted and needle scratched spots all over himself. Sasuke spent the majority of the time glaring at confused civilians as Naruto lugged the tree through the streets, wincing at the amounts of needles lost to the slushy streets.

When they got home, Sakura's jaw popped open in a perfect "oh" and Ino was nearly bouncing up and down in joy. Her second look, when they explained to her how they'd obtained a "tree" that size was much less satisfying, but at least the job was done.

* * *

Ino stayed for Christmas. And New Years for that matter, all under the excuse of "A last minute mission." Inoichi and Kikku, while disappointed, did not question the word of their hokage, and after some begging, Ino, Sakura and Naruto got Tsunade to backup their lie. Sasuke refused to beg, but his presence was enough. It didn't matter whether he called it begging or "worried persuasion"; Tsunade had consented either way.

The day of christmas was spent happily; waking up late, opening presents next to the fire Ino had ordered Naruto to start. Sasuke spent most of the time drinking cup after cup of his special tea and giving gifts tersely. Sakura and Ino seemed to have stashed endless amounts of presents around the house and had mysteriously placed them beneath the tree the night before. All Naruto had to offer was a present for each of them.

The best present Naruto had received by far though, was a joint effort from Ino and Sasuke though.

It was a simple kunai, rusted at the edges, with an old leather hilt that was fraying near the bottom. Inscribed down the blade was the simple kanji of "Uzumaki."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, who'd handed it to him, incredulously, then ran his fingers across the characters quietly, unable to find words.

It was Ino who chipped in first. "I found it when I was at the armoury the other day. It was just sitting all by itself, wasting away." She inspects her nails like it doesn't even really matter. The small curve for her glossed lips says otherwise. "Saw the name and thought you'd like it. Might be one of your dead relatives' or something. Sasuke of course, was the one to buy it."

The look Sasuke is giving Naruto clearly says he knows who had owned it. Uzumaki's were not native to Konoha, and a weapon as personalized as this could only have belonged to one person. Naruto turns the blade over, eyes tracing down the frame until it settles on a small inscription near the bottom of the loop, worn and rusted with time. A small, imperceptible, "K."

Naruto's eyes blur and he scrubs them furiously and grins at the two of them. "Thanks guys." His voice sounds thick and rough in his own ears. He clutches the kunai close to himself. "This means a lot to me."

And then there was laughter and lots of easy happiness. After a while, Sakura brought out her "special" eggnog, passing glasses around and extra sake bottles.

By four in the afternoon they had managed to mush themselves together into a pile on the floor. Sasuke was pretending like he wasn't there and Naruto couldn't focus his attention away from the way Ino's boobs were pressed against his chest and Sakura's butt was nearly sitting in his hand.

Ino made the move first, brushing a kiss filled with warm, wet breath against his neck. Naruto thought he saw her hand sneak across his chest aiming for one of Sakura's boobs, and the noise Sakura made in return was oh-so-delicious. Naruto found his lips being trapped by a pair of firm, delicate lips that tasted mildly of strawberries and blinked, cross-eyed, up at Sakura's pretty pink lashes.

His hand was trapped behind Sasuke, who was twisting in very suspicious ways but Naruto couldn't see because Ino's breasts were right in front of his face and Sakura's mouth was nipping at his collarbone. He felt Sasuke's grip tighten harshly on his forearm and wondered what the girls were doing to him. The thoughts that rushed forward made his pants feel suddenly, very tight.

In a quick movement, he rolled over the nearest body (which just so happened to be Ino) and was near about tackling her mouth with his own, hips rolling briskly. Ino melded into his body, strong but soft, then pressing back against him, rolling him back and Naruto's shoulder was suddenly hanging off the couch.

Then her firm weight was gone and Naruto realized that his head was smack dab in Sasuke's lap next to a very intriguing tent. Sasuke looked flushed and turned on and fuckable with Sakura holding his arms and slinging herself over his chest. Ino was leaning back on Naruto's thighs with a sleazy smile, light blue eyes murky and gray with the heat of arousal. She nudges Naruto's hand which is settled right near Sakura's ass.

Naruto doesn't need further prodding and gropes at Sakura, watching her expressions, watching Sasuke's expressions when Sakura's breath blows in his ear, watches Ino reach and touch and god they're all so damn hot and they're all his.

They sort of just dissolve into a pile of mush and gush, pressing themselves together, feeling in places that hadn't been explored, and Naruto wasn't quite sure who shoved their hand down his pants first: He was too busy nibbling at Sasuke's ear lobe. To his credit, he did not squeak, it was merely a gasp of surprise. Healthy, manly surprise. Ino's boobs were firm, more muscle than softness, but plush. Sasuke was all harsh lines and wiry arms, pushing and pulling hands. Sakura was small, sweet noises and the sweetest ass a guy could ask for, and it made her legs seem to stretch up to here.

The alcohol had probably gone to their heads, and at some point, they'd rolled off the couch and onto the too rough rug. Ino's boobs were pretty comfy though. So were Sasuke's stomach muscles. And Sakura's toned stomach.

They stopped for dinner of course; Naruto's stomach was hard to ignore. Then again, the break always meant they could switch locations to the larger and much more comfortable mattress of Sasuke's bed.

* * *

The morning after, Naruto wakes to Ino tracing little patterns on his chest and Sakura blinking up at the fact that Ino's just done it to her arm as well. Sasuke looks to be in nothing short of a coma. He sighs contentedly at the warmth that's boiling in his stomach. The Seal is nothing but faded brown lines stretched over his stomach. Sakura rubs her finger over the spiral of it before realizing what she's done and tucking herself away and pressing her face into Sasuke's back, right between the shoulder blades. Naruto smiles happily and tucks his one free arm under his head, the other numb from being trapped underneath Sasuke for so long. The bastard's probably drooling on Naruto's arm. They're all kind of squished together on Sasuke's oversized double bed, barely covered by whatever sheets they'd managed to drag onto themselves in the night. Naruto tries to keep his eyes from trailing to far south down Sasuke chest or over their ribcages towards where he and Sakura lie flush. He doesn't want to look towards Ino. He can feel her full length against his side, and he'd barely managed to snag sheets.

Sighing, he eyes the blank white ceiling. Boy would he love to take a paintbrush to that. But even more than he'd love a new color...

"What do think about getting a king size?" He shifts around, jostling a nearly dead Sasuke and two squeaking girls to make a point. "I'm thinking this bed's a bit small for the four of us."

Ino laughs, full and loud in a way that makes her throat arch beautifully and show the nice bite mark Sasuke had left. Naruto knows it's his because Sasuke's bruise. Naruto's break skin.

Sakura turns a lovely shade of red that reached down to her perfectly palm-sized breasts and smacks him across the chest. Naruto winces reflexively, even though it didn't really hurt. He'd talk Sasuke into it when the dick woke up.

* * *

On New Year's, Ino and Sakura spent the day holed up in the kitchen, and though the smells wafting through the hallways were nearly heartbreaking they were so good, the minute either one of the guys stepped into the kitchen, they were chased out by wails and wooden spoons. So, with growling stomachs, both men went out in search of open restaurants.

Since it was the New Year's eve though, practically nothing was open. The streets of Konoha were full, but the shops were closed in lieu of the upcoming parties and celebrations. Thankfully, Ichiraku's (the godsend from above) was open, and a pleasant if quiet brunch was spent there.

When they came home, the sun had passed its zenith and was beginning to descent. Naruto kicks the door open with a hearty yell of "HONEY, I'M HOME!" echoing off the walls at his entrance. No change in the chatter emanating from the kitchen. All Naruto receives is a good, firm slug from Sasuke, and while Naruto crouches down on the ground, hugging his stomach and trying to catch his breath, Sasuke stares down at him impassively and dangerously.

"Do not damage my walls or door." He says in a quietly deadly voice.

After that, the day is left to enduring the delicious and untouchable smells in the kitchen, listening to the laughter of hidden jokes and wandering around the house not sure what to do with themselves. For a while, Naruto picks up each of the fallen pine needles from their pine tree off the rug. Individually. He'd counted one hundred and twenty four when Sasuke walks in and knocks the bag, spilling its contents back onto the rug. When Naruto tackles him for being an asshole, Sasuke's reply is:

"Not only are you being pathetic and stupid, but your counting is giving me a headache."

And so, Naruto spends the day sleeping, ignoring his whining stomach, and puttering around as quietly as possible.

When the table was finally set and Naruto and Sasuke were allowed within the radius of the kitchen once again, they had a small feast at their disposal. Between the soba noodles, red bean curd buns, kombu rolls and sweet potato, Naruto wants to float on a cloud he's so happy. The girls had even managed to make three different kinds of mochi rice cake soup.

Then, they watch the clocks, sipping Sake waiting for the clock to strike twelve. When it does, there are kisses all around. Naruto tries to grab Sakura's butt when she stands up, but she smacks his hand away playfully.

"Not now, Naruto!" She giggles. "I've been working! Maybe tomorrow."

And on that note, they all go to their separate rooms, Naruto feeling like his bed is much larger than it should be and much colder. The sooner he got Sasuke to get that King bed, the better.

* * *

_THUMP._

Naruto's eyes are open in an instant, fingers curling around the kunai he kept in his pillowcase. It happened to be the one he'd gotten for christmas, but it would serve its purpose.

Creeping out into the hallway and avoiding the squeaky board on the right. The thump had come from the wall that had connected his room to the one Ino and Sakura were sharing until Ino moved in. Sasuke was already there, peering inside with eyes that were wide and glinting in the moonlight. He held a finger to his lips for silence, and, confused, Naruto crept closer.

Inside, Ino and Sakura have thrown off their sheets. Thrown off everything, really, and by the small mewls and happy noises coming from their bed, it seemed like they are thoroughly enjoying New Years. Naruto can't take his eyes off of Sakura's creamy flesh pressed up against Ino's tanner skin, their pink and blonde hair tangling wonderfully together as they rolled. All the heat in Naruto's body floods in one instant to his groin, when he sees Ino's ashy blonde head dip lower and lower, kissing and licking and, oh god.

Sasuke's hand grips Naruto's wrist and drags him reluctantly away from the scene and towards Sasuke's room. Naruto follows, trying to hide his arousal as he went. Sasuke shut the door behind him and scratched the back of his head uncertainly.

Naruto grins. "Totally the best idea ever."

Sasuke punches his shoulder. Fixes it with a kiss. Then takes off Naruto's shirt to get a better look. He fixes that with a kiss too. And then he's fixing Naruto's chest, fixing his stomach and-

Naruto's not the only one aroused by the girls down the halls.

* * *

The next morning's silence is muted by the New Years afterglow, filled with sips and murmurs of meaningless words. And the silence is a silence that says everything.

* * *

**Definitions to the foods they ate:**

**Soba Noodles (Soba)- These are traditional buckwheat, japanese style noodles, usually reserved for eating on New Year's day. It's like spaghetti, but more nutty. Cold Soba is usually eaten with a soya based dipping sauce.**

**Red Bean Curd buns (Bao)- Fluffy buns (actually chinese) that are usually steamed and filled with different kinds of pastes. My personal favorite is the red bean paste, but there is also black sesame, sweet mung, and coconut, all of which are also very good.**

**Simmered Kombu Rolls (Kobumaki)- It's basically kelp rolls, and made specially for New Years. The center filling is usually fish strips, like salmon, or gobo burdock, which is really good.**

**Mochi Rice Cake Soup (Zoni)- It's tradition to eat this soup when New Years strikes at midnight, but the ingredients tend to vary as you go from region to region. It's usually flavored with Miso (something Naruto would enjoy very much) or soy sauce. I've only ever had the soy sauce version, but it is very good.**

**On a side note, I am a cook. And while I love cooking dearly, I would have nowhere to go with some of these ****recipes. I do make Bao buns frequently though, so ask me if you need quick and easy recipes!**

**Yeah. This is the second update I promised in chapter two for being late... Once again, email me for lemons. The surprising turnout from last chapter though... wow. You guys really like your lemons. I'm still sending them all out, but for now, be patient and you'll get yours!**

* * *

_Song of the Chapter: Some Nights - FUN._

_Words: 4,117_


	6. Chapter 5: Be Prepared

**Family: Be Prepared**

**. . .**

* * *

_Open me up and you will see_

_I'm a gallery of broken hearts_

_I'm beyond repair, let me be_

_And give me back my broken parts_

* * *

Black hair hanging over his eyes seems alien in the effect, making everything seem shrouded. The makeup caked onto is face feels stiff and dry. Naruto desperately wants a shower. His hand inches its way to his cheek, begging to scratch, but stops itself halfway there. There's the target, laughing richly in the bubbly formal air. Naruto's practically permanent smile stretches farther out across his cheeks. He turns and smiles at his date, a pretty, petite girl that's so demure, Naruto almost wishes that Ino or Sakura were here with their damn sailors' mouths.

"Excuse me for a second, I have some business to attend to." He says formally. Softly, the girl nods her head, feather-light brown locks brushing her cheeks as she does so, and she blows a gentle kiss. Her wide, doe-like eyes are diamond hard and her smile tightens. It's the signal. Naruto knows that beneath her quiet politeness is the rough, curt kunoichi he works with, and if he screws this up, he knows she'll slit his throat as quickly as if he were the target all along.

Naruto pulls his hands from his pockets, snagging a drink from the nearest waiter and tipping the bubbly drink back in an instant. Sets it down. There wasn't nearly enough burn in the drink, and his mouth is still dry. God, he hated this part.

Sidling up to the man, Naruto sees the woman on his shoulder eyes him furtively, if not a bit disdainfully. The man still hasn't seen him, and it patting his thinning and slicked back hair absentmindedly as he talks. Probably something about politics. Naruto taps his shoulder, once.

The man turns and, seeing Naruto, his grin falters a little. Naruto's smile brightens. "This party is is grande, isn't it, Shou?"

Shou looks at him confusedly, not remembering who this was, but nodding all the same. Standard political reaction.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Naruto holds out his hand jovially. "We've only met once, at the Kabuki Theatre in Shimo a few years back? I'm Shibusa Haru!" He says.

False recognition flares up on Shou's face and his eyes crinkle when he smiles he reaches out his hand and grasps Naruto's firmly. "Oh yes! How are-"

Naruto jerks his hand forward briskly and the poisoned needle that had slid from his sleeve to nestle comfortably in his palm, sinks into Shou's stomach. The man's eyes go wide and startled, a strangled noise coming from his throat. The people in the circle Shou had been talking to stare, confused and unsure. To them, it looks like Shou has fallen onto Naruto's arm.

Thats okay though, because the needle was only for insurance.

In the next second, Naruto has slit Shou's throat and the first blood curdling scream erupts in the room. Blood splatters Naruto's face, turned grim as Shou's body goes limp in his arms. Naruto sets the man down carefully, seeing him convulse, eyes bulging. There's red rimming his lips and Naruto knows how much it hurts, but the man's face is already turning pale with bloodloss.

Then he spins catching a girl in a pearlescent white dress, her hair coming undone from its careful up-do. He jams his kunai into the side of her neck and rips forward, severing all her arteries as well as her windpipe. She can't even scream before she's unable to anymore. The blood that's soaked through his shirt is sickeningly warm and sticky. The girl slumps to the floor, looking like a broken butterfly.

Naruto doesn't wait. He knows the other Konoha ninja have already flitted out of the room. He follows them silently, bypassing the panicking crowd grimly.

Outside, Naruto is rubbing makeup and blood off his face when his date comes up and pats his arm with a reassuring smile.

"Nice. For a second, I thought you weren't going to do it." Her eyes are still diamond hard, and the smile on her lips doesn't soften them. Naruto nods brusquely. Goes to the nearest river to get the black dye out of his hair. Her approval is disgusting.

Later, Naruto is walking through the village, dressed in simple civilian clothing, his hair blonde once again, but his eyes still green. He sees the woman who had been hanging on Shou crying on a bench outside of the dance hall, spieling her teary story to a patient ninja.

"H-he was average height, with b-black hair and bright gr-g-green eyes." Hic. "He didn't seem right when I saw him! And then Shou just leaned over quite s-suddenly! All... All this blood..."

Naruto turns down the next street, leaving her thick voice behind him. Only a few hours back to Konoha if he rushed.

* * *

Naruto slips silently into the house through a window. The door squeaks on its hinge, and Naruto can't face Sasuke right now. Padding silently down the hallway to his room, Naruto doesn't bother to shut the door behind him, doesn't bother to change, doesn't even get under the covers. He collapses face first onto the bed in the dark, breathing heavily and hands balled into fists, waiting for sleep to come along with the nasty nightmares he knows he's going to get.

"Welcome home."

Naruto lets out a tired sigh. Now that Sasuke's not suppressing it anymore, Naruto can feel his chakra presence. "Rough mission. Leave me alone." He says tersely, knowing that'll set alarms off in Sasuke and not really caring, as long as he was left alone.

Instead, Sasuke steps closer until he's standing right next to the bed where Naruto is laying down. "Want to talk about it?"

Naruto snorts. "You? Talk? That's a first."

Sasuke grabs his shoulder and jerks hard enough so that Naruto is on his side and rubbing his shoulder. "What the hell?"

Naruto sits up, really not in the mood for this. "What the hell? What the hell yourself! I just want to be left alone, alright?"

Sasuke's arms fold over his chest. "And since when do you want to be left alone moron? You always want to talk."

Naruto knows it's a bait, knows he shouldn't rise to it, but Sasuke is arching his eyebrow arrogantly and before Naruto knows what he's doing, he's punched Sasuke in the face, right on the jaw and sent the damn bastard reeling.

Sasuke rolls with the punch, throwing one right back and Naruto pushes it away far too easily. The fucking asshole wasn't even trying! He was toying!

Angrily, Naruto lashes his leg out and Sasuke just steps backwards, going for yet another soft punch. Naruto catches it at Sasuke's wrist, slams it back into the wall, pressed up against the bastard to keep him from getting away. Sasuke's eyes are level; annoyed, but not irrational. A sneer curves his lips. "That the best you got?"

Naruto growls as he rams his lips into Sasuke's, other hand coming up and fisting the asshole's hair roughly, dragging Sasuke's head back and baring his neck harshly. He bites down until he tastes blood between his lips, then moves lower. Hems on Sasuke's shirt pop and rip as Naruto pulls the collar down, biting everywhere and Sasuke is giving hot little gasps and his hands are rough where he grabs and pushes at Naruto's arms and shoulder. A knee comes up between Naruto's legs and he hisses, swinging Sasuke around, tossing him to the floor. Sasuke's neck jerks back with it's new teeth marks and the back of his head collides painfully with the floor.

Sasuke's eyes are still narrow, the pupils invisable in the dark. He glares and Naruto hotly when Naruto bores down on him, tearing his shirt to shreds and somehow, Naruto's own shirt disappears, appears on the other side of the room. Sasuke's hand is shoved down his pants, gripping too roughly and Naruto lets out a noise that's too feral to be comfortable, nails dragging marks in Sasuke's pale chest, over toned muscles and drawing up linings of blood. His hand is too rough and tight and Naruto is trying not to squirm, and it feels like something is constricting around his heart and squeezing.

The pressure releases when Naruto does and it's like a heated explosion of relief and rage all in one. Naruto collapses on top of Sasuke, realizing the other boy has met his climax as well and it's all over his hand. When did he get his hand inside Sasuke's pants again?

"Better?" Sasuke says. He sounds kind of breathless and his voice is hoarse. Naruto can't remember if Sasuke was making noise; he's too swallowed up in the immense waves of calm that are rushing over him so quickly it's drowning.

Naruto nods quietly, looks up from Sasuke's chest and sees Sasuke staring at the doorway. He looks over and Sakura is standing there, framed by her oversized white t-shirt and looking caught between scared and embarrassed. Naruto pulls his hand from Sasuke's pants, wipes it on his pants and moves onto his knees.

"Sorry." He says knowing his face is red and hoping that Sakura won't notice it too much with so little light. She looks down, hands clasped together, then she walks inside, holding out her hand towards Naruto who's still crouched on the floor.

She leads him to the bed, crawls under the covers and holds out her arms. Naruto feels a knot lodge in his throat and he crawls underneath with her, settling into her welcoming arms and feeling them wrap around his waist.

There's silence in the room, but Naruto knows Sasuke hasn't left. He turns away from Sakura for a second and looks at where the asshole is still lying prone on the floor. "Come up here, bastard." He says.

Sasuke grunts, doesn't move for a second, but eventually, he slides underneath the covers with them, turning his back to where Naruto and Sakura are. Naruto scootches over, lies on his back, and shoves one arm beneath Sasuke's head, ignoring Sasuke's grumbles, and lets Sakura settle into the crook at his other side.

He can feel when her breathing slows when it brushes against his chest. After a while, Sasuke rolls over, resting his face on Naruto's shoulder, and in the dark, they're both so pretty and so quiet. Sakura looking innocent and sweet on one side, Sasuke looking like a barely tamed, sleeping panther on the other. Naruto sighs and lets his eyes close, for once, not getting the nightmares he expected.

* * *

February is a mess of planning. Ino's mother, once accustomed to the idea of her daughter belonging to an essential co-headed clan, was head over heels for the upcoming party. A party dated for late March, incidently, a few days after Sakura's birthday.

In lieu of the upcoming festivities, the Hokage granted the four of them mission reprieve. Naruto hadn't missed her grin beneath her gruffness when he'd been called into the office.  
Surprisingly enough, Iruka had also been overly active in the planning. Everyday, like clockwork, Iruka would be there, discussing with anyone ways to plan, how to arrange what foods in meaningful ways (food had meaning?), even going so far as to team up with Ino's mom. Sasuke was cooped up in his designated study most of the time, holed away from gushing girls and overbearing parents to do his paperwork for the family inductions. Sasuke wrote fast and had an eye for legalities, though. Naruto seriously doubted that there was that much paperwork to be filled out and gone over, but he had to give credit to Sasuke's use of excuse.

The days were becoming blurs of shopping, newly made plans, and constantly nixed ones (Naruto didn't understand why giving everyone a cup of ramen wasn't okay). Ino's mother was a whirlwind of doom and moodswings, even on those calmer days when there was nothing to be done but sit and talk with cups of tea.

"So, Naruto," Kikku said, a little tight-lipped as she says his name. Naruto wants to sink into the couch. Ino's shoulder leaning against his own stops him. "How do your parents feel about this?"

Naruto shifts uncomfortable. They're in the living room, with the heavenly couch and Kikku is perched neatly on the edge of an armchair across from where he, Ino, Sasuke and Sakura are sitting. Ino's father leans against the doorframe quietly. "Uh, well, I'm not sure." Naruto answers and scratched his head awkwardly.

Kikku blinks and Inoichi's eyes narrow. As part of the intelligence unit, he knew of Naruto's circumstances, though Kikku apparently, did not.

"What do you mean you're not sure?" She says, puffing up like an offended chicken. "You didn't even bother to-"

"Uh, Mom!" Ino intervenes quickly, sitting up and smiling. Her hand settles in Naruto's thigh discreetly. "Naruto's parents passed away when he was young." She says lowly, almost whispering.

There is silence in the room. Sasuke has stopped scribbling on his paper, Inoichi is standing tensely, the muscles in his shoulders bunched up to his neck. Sakura is sending Naruto worried looks from her seat on Sasuke's other side. Naruto smiles, trying to ease some of the tension but not quite sure how.

And then Kikku is in front of him and pulling him up into a great big bear hug before he can blink twice. "Oh you poor, poor child!" She cooes. "I don't know how you did it, but all on your own! And such a fine boy too, you poor thing!"

Naruto is at least two inches taller than her, and suddenly, he feels like a little kid with her arms wrapped around his neck and pulling him down to her height, her cheek smashed against his as she murmurs sweet condolences and pets his blonde head. Naruto pats her back awkwardly.

"Uh... It's okay? I don't even remember them really." Sasuke's eyes bore holes in the back of Naruto's skull,but he really doesn't want to get into the fine details of how he met his parents a while back again. "I'm okay, Mrs. Yamanaka. Seriously-"

"Oh hush." She tutters and pushes him back down on the couch. "You can call me Mom. You're going to be my son-in-law soon anyways."

And suddenly, Naruto is on really good speaking terms with Kikku. As for Inoichi, his smiles were terse, but his eyes were kind. Once or twice, he'd slip an inconspicious note with a check attached into Naruto's pockets or slid underneath his door. The approving nods warmed Naruto to no end when he caught them, and Naruto guessed that having your daughter hook up with the two guys who helped end the fourth shinobi war helped the odds tip in his favor.

All the same, Naruto was feeling a lot more secure about the whole idea.

* * *

"Happy Valentine's day!"

Naruto blinks from his reclined position on the couch up at Ino and Sakura who are leaning over him with looks of glee so large he thinks their faces might break. Suddenly, there's a plate of chocolate being shoved under his nose and Naruto inhales the rich scent quickly.

"Yum!" He hums, snatching one up and popping it in his mouth. Sakura's smile widens and Ino pouts a little.

"Way to chose Sakura's first, Naruto. Mine look so much prettier." She huffs. Naruto glances at the plate of chocolates that look identical, then grins sheepishly and pops another into his mouth. Sakura laughs like musical bells and Ino puffs out her cheeks adorably. Naruto can count on one hand the times he'd received chocolates for Valentine's day, but this one definitely topped the charts.

Sasuke on the other hand, seemed to have received chocolates from every single girl in the village. By midday, their house was swamped in pretty boxes and ribboned bags. Sasuke wades through, grumbling the whole time. The only chocolates he touches are the ones Sakura had placed on the dining room table just for him. Ino cheers when Sasuke eats her chocolate first this time.

Naruto doesn't really care who the chocolate is from though. Sasuke may not have a sweet tooth, but Naruto did. By the time Naruto's unwrapped his sixth box, his head is buzzing with sugar, Ino is smacking him to try and get him to sit still, and Naruto is pretty sure that some of the chocolates were drugged.  
By the eleventh box, he's sure of it, because Ino's lips look really inviting and Sasuke's ass is too nice for his own good. He nearly knocks over the couch trying to make a grab for Sakura's boobs, and in the midst of her squealing and Ino's cackles, he ends up kissing Sasuke's nose and getting a punch in the face, before Sasuke leans over him and uses his tongue to search for the last traces of chocolate in Naruto's mouth.

Naruto officially likes Valentine's day.

* * *

**A bit dark of a start to this chapter, considering how light and fluffy the whole rest of this story has been thus far... Eh. I'm a naturally dark writer anyways, but that's okay XD.**

**sorry to those of you I still haven't gotten lemons out to yet. I've had a crazily hectic week and almost no time to sit down and sort stuff. That's also why this chapter is up a bit early (I post at night in my time zone... right now it's 8:30am). I'm leaving in a few hours to go on a camping trip with my boyfriends family, so I won't have computer access... sadly, that means, if you ask for lemons (there's only one in this chapter, heads up), you might not get them until wednesday or thursday. Hopefully, since I start school again on tuesday.**

**Wow, I feel pathetic. No time to write. I shall go die in a hole now.**

**Planning for the upcoming wedding party. There will be a lot more of it in the next chapter. Urgh. I hate planning parties...**

* * *

_Song of the Chapter: Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson_

_Word Count: 3,179_

_Beta: TheDeterginator_


	7. Chapter 6: Make Me Happy

**Family: Make Me Happy**

**. . . **

* * *

_Don't know if I could ever be _  
_Without you 'cause boy you complete me_  
_And in time I know that we'll both see _  
_That we're all we need_  
_'Cause you're the apple to my pie _  
_You're the straw to my berry_  
_You're the smoke to my high _  
_And you're the one I wanna marry..._  
**  
**

* * *

By mid-March, Naruto is just about ready to tear his own hair out.

New things kept popping up on his "To-Do List" and it was driving him nuts; another invitation to be sent, another present to be bought, another outfit to try on. Iruka's mother hen-ness was making him bonkers. The man was constantly hovering over his shoulder, making sure he did this, going over why not to do that, and Kikku was dragging him to and from every shop known to human kind. Every minute he's not being pulled around like a puppy heading to the vets, he's hiding out at the training grounds and trying to find a sparring partner that will let him relieve some stress on them. A harder feat than it seemed.

As far as wedding parties went, they were supposed to be pretty straightforward. Simple even. Especially when it was a Ninja wedding party, viewed by civilians. Only problem was that "simple" in civilian terms, was not "simple" in Naruto terms.

"Naruto? Come here a minute!" Kikku is in her relaxation clothing; brown suede pants, a loose t-shirt, and her hair tied back to stay out of her face. She eyes several vases critically, thumb tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. Warily, Naruto approaches her.

"Yes?" He asks. Kikku points at a vase of pretty blue flowers, touching one of the buds with the pads of her fingers.

"What do you think? The Forget-Me-Nots or the Lavendar?" She points of a column of pretty lighter flowers. Naruto opens his mouth to speak.

"Then again, they could be too obvious. And we need something to describe Sasuke, and we can't be having the light flowers for that. Those should be reserved for the girls, I think..." She murmurs. Then she looks at Naruto expectantly as if waiting for an answer.

Naruto blinks, striving to remember the little bits of hana kotoba that Sakura had tried to teach him. He points at a bright, star-shaped flower with orange and yellow petals. "What about that one?"

Kikku laughs loudly and Naruto chuckled awkwardly beside her, wondering what was so funny. "Amaryllis? For that boy?" She hoots. Naruto turns a beet red. Amaryllis for Shyness. If Sasuke knew Naruto had recommended that flower to describe him, Naruto wasn't sure he'd be possessing his jewels anymore. Self-conciously, he re-adjusts the zipper of his pants to check. Why did flowers have meanings anyway?

If he wasn't with Kikku at the flower shop, then he was with the girls at the clothing stores, listening to them giggle, offering scant amounts of voice and dodging heated outrage tossed his way. The house was bustling with people constantly, going in and out, cleaning and cooking, arranging or just plain waiting. Sasuke was so busy, Naruto was lucky if he got to see him more than once a day. Alone time was just unheard of.

Eventually, he goes to Tsunade, practically begging for a mission. She snorts at him.

"You wanted a family." Snrk. "Family Gatherings are part of the whole "family" deal." She says in answer to his pleas. Naruto curses her profusely, which sends her into another fit of uncanny laughter.

"You could always tell Ino that her mother is annoying you." Tsunade offers with a ridiculous grin. Naruto pales at the thought, and shakes his head, muttering about "insufferable old hags who can't help a poor guy retain his sanity."

Tsunade throws a book at his head.

* * *

Naruto returns home with a new bruise in his forehead to add to his collection and a desperate need to find a stress reliever. Thankfully, this is one of those moments when the house is blissfully quiet and free of people. Even Iruka seemed to be missing at this point.

Naruto suddenly really wishes that all of this was over so he could just sleep. Or rape his lovers. Or both. Yeah, both sounded really nice.

"Naruto?" Ino blinks at Naruto who has begun rumaging through the freezer for at least a bag of peas to put on his forehead. She wipes her hands on a dishtowel and walks over him. "What happened?" She asks.

Naruto sighs, pressing the green beans to his forehead (not quite peas, but close enough). "Tsunade with her damn books." He says, collapsing into the nearest chair and tipping it back aways. "Stupid old hag won't send me on a mission."

Ino laughs and seats herself on a corner of the table, tugging at the frozen bag to get a good look at his forming bruise. "Wow, she got you good this time." She says brightly. Naruto makes a face and leans over the table, chin on his hand.

"Yeah, Yeah. Laugh it up. I just hate this goddamn dress and tie thingy." He sighs heavily. "I need a vacation."

Ino taps his temple with her forefinger. "We all need a vacation, stupid." She says, hopping down from her perch and peering into his downcast eyes with her own blue-gray ones. "Don't worry. I want this over nearly as much as you do."

Naruto stares at her, eyes trailing down to her curved and plush lips, mind racing back to his earlier thoughts. He licks his lips and Ino stands back, hands on her hips. "What?"

Naruto stands, makeshift ice-bag abandoned on the table, and leaning towards Ino until she's pressed back against the table. Ino braces herself with her hands and giggles nervously. "Naruto?"

Then, Naruto is pressing his lips to hers, hands on either side of her on the table, feeling her surprised mouth mold against his as she relaxes. Her mouth opens, lets his tongue slide against hers, breathes quietly. Naruto cups the back of her neck and tilts her head to the side, just enjoying the scent of flowers and the taste of girlyness about her.

Ino pulls away, breathing heavily, and Naruto just pulls her right back against him, kissing her again and again in the short pecks he knows annoys her. She giggles and shoves his shoulders, her balance teetering in her position against the table.

"Stop it Naruto~" She laughs and Naruto grins against her cheeks, rubbing his forehead against her temple and holding her close, already feeling better."

Ino laughs breathily. "What was that for?"

Naruto grins at her, pushing his bangs away from his forehead. "Needed some fun. Too much damn stress around here." He breathes out.

Ino pets his head, smiling all the time, then she pushes him away her, standing straight again. "Well, I need a shower, so you go find some other stress-releiver." She says and dusts herself off.

Naruto smiles widely. "Have fun in there." He quips. Ino grins, swings her hips mockingly, before strutting out of the kitchen.

Naruto stands straight and cracks his back, satisfied that he'd accomplished his first goal. Now to accomplish the second; sleeping for the rest of the day.

Party day arrives in a gust of wind. That gust being Ino's mother. The arrival being five in the morning.

"Come on! Up, Up, UP!" She says, pulling away the sheets in one sweeping movement and jostling the boys' shoulders. Naruto shivers, reaches around blindly for some sort of cover. Thank god he'd worn underwear to bed that night.

"Let's go! We have a big day today!" Naruto groans and wishes that for once, Kikku didn't have any caffiene in the morning. Just for the sake of humanity because all he wanted to do was sleep and all she was doing was trying to drag him out of bed with her damn annoying voice. How the fuck could Sasuke still be sleeping?

"Nyerrr..." Naruto growls, rolling over at squinting at her through blood shot eyes. She really is as chipper as she sounds, all rosy cheeks and pinned back hair and determined eyes. Naruto wants to bitch slap the nearest object (not her, cause she'd probably bitch slap him right back and give him an Iruka-style lecture).

"Miss Kikku?" Sakura comes in, already dressed and prettified for the day, with her hair held back from her face with a green headband that matches her eyes. Naruto doesn't want to know what time she got up at.

"Oh, Mrs. Yamanaka, here, let me do it. They're impossible in the morning." Sakura says kindly and Naruto wants to kiss her when she finally manages to usher Kikku out into the hallway, protesting the whole time.

"God-freaking thank you!" Naruto says and rolls back over, stuffing his face in his pillow and inhaling the sweet scent of unfinished sleep. "Thought she'd never leave."

Sakura giggles, sits down on the side of the bed. "Oh, you know. She was just trying to help." She says. Naruto feels her shrug. "She just doesn't know how to wake you two up."

And then she slaps him. Right across both buttcheeks.

Naruto leaps up with a yowl, holding his stinging behind as he races to get away from her. Sakura has an evil, self-accomplished look in her eyes and is inspecting her nails studiously, as if she didn't know what just happens. "We have to start gettin g ready, so you should be up."

Naruto gives her a broken look and rubs his butt one more time. "Jeezus christ, all you women are crazy." He says and begins to rummage through his stuff anyways, looking for something to wear.

Meanwhile, Sakura is busy dragging Sasuke out of bed, nearly pulling his sweatpants off in the process. Naruto laughs when he takes a sleepy swing at her, not even breaking his sleeping pattern to do so. Finally, Sakura huffs, pouting. "Fine, you asked for it."

She leaves him to curl back up amongst his retrieved covers, making for the bathroom. Naruto takes her bringing back a glass full of cold water as his signal to leave.

Sasuke's shout is heard through the whole house.

* * *

Coffee is waiting for him on the table. When Sasuke drags his sopping wet self into the living room, he looks like he's been kicked by a horse. Beneath Sakura's accomplished look, there are bags under her eyes, and her smiling lips are drawn a little too tight. Ino is staring off into space, third cup of coffee hanging loosely in her hand and only half finished, made-up face tired and dazed. Even though they've just gotten up, it feels like the day has been dragging on too long.

Kikku seems happy as ever. A little more fluttery than usual, a little bit blustier. She rubs her hands together excitedly.

"Alright! We have a few things to do before tonight, so we should get started!" She hums happily. Her eyes shift around the nearly dead room, and finally rest on her husband who is leaning against the wall as if he wants to fade into it. "Inoichi! Do you have anything you want to say?"

Inoichi blinks at her and rubs a bit of sleep from his eyes. "Uh, sure." He clears his throat. "This is gonna be a big day, so we might as well take it step by step. No rushing, no panicking, no freaking out at the last minute." He says the last like it's some sort of prayer and Naruto can't help but grin a little.

Kikku glares at him with a look of "why-didn't-you-say-what-I-wanted-you-to-say?" She shakes her head and smiles cheerily again. "Okay! So, aside from that, are there any comments?"

Naruto raises his hand tentatively, and her bright eyes land on him with a nod to continue. "Uh, when do we get breakfast?" And, almost on cue, Naruto's stomach growls, loud and definitive. Kikku's eyes harden to rock hard diamonds and Naruto swallows nervously and smiles as best he can.

And that is how Naruto ends up waking down the streets with a tired Inoichi beside him, sent on a journey to the nearest "Hina's" for donuts, bagels, and everything else a breakfast should have. Naruto supposes this is Kikku's form of punishment, not being able to plan. Naruto thinks it's a small miracle. Inoichi's look seems to confirm it.

As they stand in line, watching the menu and wondering how much, if any, the girls will eat, when Inoichi speaks.

"Women." He sighs.

Naruto smiles, laughs loud enough to turn a few heads. "I know, right?" He says.

Inoichi just nods in answer, but Naruto feels a little better already. Even if that was as far as their father-son bonding went, it still feels nice. Plus, he's pretty sure he's made more progress than Sasuke has, which is a reward in itself.

And, as predicted, none of the women ate anything Naruto and Inoichi brought back, worrying about weight and focused on timings and deliveries, along with Iruka, who had arrived while Naruto had been out. Sasuke was still staring confused at his cup of "special" tea, so in the end, Naruto and Inoichi ended up being the ones to eat all the food. It was nice.

* * *

The rest of the day, wasn't. It was hectic, filled with arrivals here and deliveries there. Naruto was directing the folding chairs into the ball room they'd rented when he gets a frantic message from Ino.

"Naruto?" He gets over the comm unit they've been using all day.

"Hi! Okay, I need you to do me a huge favor and run down to the docks to pick up my cousin. He's sailing in from the land of the Crescent Moon and I totally forgot to tell him how to get here."

Naruto splutters into the comm unit. "B-but..." He waves at one of the men holding a chair questioningly, waving him towards the right side of the room. "Thats an hour run! Is he shinobi?"

"Eh." Ino says, her voice sounding crackly. She shouts something indecipherable at someone else. "Sort of. Almost a genin."

And with that, Naruto is off and running, dragging in Konohamaru to tell the movers what to do. It takes less than an hour to get there, and twenty minutes to find Ino's cousin based on her (rather poor) description of him. Ino's cousin, Hirachi, is nearly twelve and very bright and smiley, with sparkling purple eyes and whitish blue hair. Thankfully, he's also light enough to piggy back, and travel time takes half as long as Naruto expected the trip back to be.

The minute he'd dropped Hirachi off and the Yamanaka's household, it's off to the bakery to pick up last minute pastries. Sasuke had brought lunch for them all, and it took fifteen minutes of convincing to get the girls to touch their food, complaining all the while.

When everything is nearly done, Iruka drags him to one of the back rooms of the building their in and shoves a tuxedo at him. "Go! Get dressed! Kakashi's handling the rest of it!" He says. Naruto rolls his eyes, too tired and stressed to answer.

It's a tux he, Iruka and Kikku had spent hours deciding on. It was tailored to him perfectly, the white shirt with black buttons up the front and a pressed collar. The vest worn underneath was a blue to washed down it was nearly gray, with a bowtie to match it. His pants and jacket were the same matte black and fit snugly around him. If he could say so himself, he looked pretty damn good.

Naruto's patting down his hair when Sasuke is practically tossed inside with him, growling and grumbling. Naruto hasn't seen him since their lunch break and that had been almost five hours ago.

Naruto chuckles when Sasuke huffs at his image in the mirror and begins trying to straighten his bangs. His eyebrows are scrunched together frustratedly and he makes a little growling noise when one side doesn't lie down the way it's supposed to, his movements wrinkling the vest that's as red as his eyes, and the button up that's a crisp clean white. He has the same matte black jacket and pants that Naruto has on, and beneath his perfectly pressed, regal appearance, he looks (dare Naruto say it?) nervous.

Naruto grins. "Nice outfit." He says leeringly. Sasuke glances at him suspiciously and gives him a quick once over.

"You as well." He huffs. Turns back to his reflection.

Naruto leans forward as discreetly as he can and rocks on his heels. Just as his mouth is right next to Sasuke's ear, he squeezes Sasuke's butt. "Makes your ass look nice."

Sasuke near-about jumps ten feet in the air, bristling like a cat and glaring visciously. Naruto laughs at Sasuke's "Crude fucking asshole" comment and watches Sasuke go back to fussing over his now sticking up even more hair.

Naruto licks his palm and smears it down the front of Sasuke's hair, sloppily fixing the point of Sasuke's frustration. Sasuke makes a noise and shoves Naruto's hand away, now fussing even more. Naruto laughs a little and stands back, folding his arms over his chest.

"You know, people would think you were the girl with all the damn crap you've been giving today." He says, trying to keep his eyes off of Sasuke's butt (which looks really good in those pants).

Sasuke glares at him through the mirror and Naruto flashes him a bright grin. "You could worry more, moron." He says. Naruto shrugs.

"What's there to be worried about?" He says. He braces himself against the counter of the vanity mirror and studies the ceiling. "It's not even an official marraige. Just some party mumbo-jumbo that the Yamanaka's want for Ino."

Sasuke sighs, as if the complexities of life had just been described as how to grow a pumpkin. "There's also the politics of it all." He wipes his hands on his pants and straightens his bowtie. "Not to mention we are practically announcing this to the village, all the paperwork that still has to be passed, and after this, god-forbid it doesn't. After this, there will be publicity, clan arrangements to be made, family names to be restored..." He trails off, and his lips tighten. Naruto watches Sasuke's face darken. It's amazing that even after all these years and after all their doing, Sasuke is still hurt by his own family tragedy.

Standing up, Naruto stretches, arms elongated high over his head. He feels his shirt untuck itself a little. Doesn't bother to tuck it back in again. Sasuke eyes it as if he's itching to so it himself.

"Well, that's all stuff for after the party, isn't it?" He remarks jauntily and gives Sasuke a sideways leer. "And publicity ain't too bad, is it? More people-" He waggles his eyebrows.

Sasuke flushes him and punches his arm, not hard enough to injure, but it still hurts. Naruto spends a good while laughing about Sasuke's somewhat mortified somewhat embarrassed expression. Man, the guy was such a prude.

The relax, both leaning against the counter and really, just enjoying the silence for a while.

"Hey." Naruto nudges Sasuke's arm with his elbow. Sasuke looks at him.

Naruto leans in close and presses their lips together in a chaste kiss. "It'll be okay, 'kay?"

Sasuke blinks, looks down at the ground. He nods quietly and Naruto smiles at him, slaps the back of his shoulder heartily and puffs his chest out in the most manly way possible.

"Now! To astound all the lovely people waiting for me!" He boasts out and blows his cheeks up.

Sasuke snorts. "Didn't even know that word was in your vocabulary."

Naruto doesn't bother taking offense. He's feeling bright and happy and excited enough to get butterflies in his stomach. He just grins and mock salutes Sasuke before pushing his way out to find Iruka.

* * *

**Well, this is probably one of the toughest chapter I had to write thus far, and I'm not quite sure why. It's the formality stuff of weddings and everything... I don't know. I have commitment issues myself (haha. Writing a story about family when I have none to speak of. How ironic), so maybe that's it.**

**The next chapter is probably gonna be hard to write as well...**

**Also, I don't even know if there are pumpkins in Japan in the Naruto Era, but as of right now, I'm delegating there are. YOU HEAR ME KISHIMOTO? PUT IN SOME DAMN PUMPKINS.**

**This is kinda sorta beta-ed... me and my beta are both starting our junior years in High School, and I'm already overflowing with work. Updates might slow to every other week instead of every week... not to mention I'm at a writers block and I only have a chapter and a half left of ready uploads. And they're not even "ready" ready, since they need to be beta-ed... FUCK THE STUPID AP CLASSES. EARGHHHHHH.**

**God. Okay, enough freaking out. Enjoy your chapter. Next upload will be next friday (or the friday after... haven't decided yet...)**

**Oh, and PM or just plain request the NaruIno that's supposed to be up there, and I'll give it. X3**

* * *

_Song of the Chapter: Perfect Two - Auburn_

_Words: 3,692_


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